Early Beginnings

The State Executive Committee of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of the State of Kentucky was chartered by an Act of the Kentucky General Assembly on March 1, 1890.  The original Articles of Incorporation stated its object and purposes to be:

• To supervise, promote and assist the work of Young Men’s Christian Associations of every kind in the State of Kentucky.
• To organize new Young Men’s Christian Associations in the State, wherever and whenever deemed expedient by its Managing Board.
• To promote, supervise and administer such other lines of work as may, in the judgment of its Managing Board, tend to the spiritual, social, moral, intellectual, or physical improvement of the men and boys of Kentucky, and, for that purpose, to establish departments or branches of its own work at any point in said State, and to provide for the government thereof, and to organize and carry on such forms of effort as may be deemed wise and in keeping with the purposes of its organization.

Early Bylaws stated that leadership of the organization would be confined to men who were members in good standing of evangelical churches.

From its beginning, leadership sought to provide programs to improve both the individual lives and communities of its members.  Camps, social groups, Bible study, voter registration/education, support for military personnel, and opportunities for physical fitness outreaches were offered to men and boys in all areas of the state.